Regulation of Cardiac Calcium Channels in the Fight-or-Flight Response

Title:Regulation of Cardiac Calcium Channels in the Fight-or-Flight Response

Volume: 8

Author(s): William A. Catterall

Affiliation:

Keywords: A Kinase Anchoring Protein, beta-adrenergic, calcium channel, cAMP-dependent protein kinase, cardiac hypertrophy, Cav1.2, heart failure, L-type calcium current.

Abstract: Intracellular calcium transients generated by activation of voltage-gated calcium (Ca_V) channels generate local signals, which initiate physiological processes such as secretion, synaptic transmission, and excitation-contraction coupling. Regulation of calcium entry through Ca_V channels is crucial for control of these physiological processes. In this article, I review experimental results that have emerged over several years showing that cardiac Ca_V1.2 channels form a local signaling complex, in which their proteolytically processed distal C-terminal domain, an A-Kinase Anchoring Protein, and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) interact directly with the transmembrane core of the ion channel through the proximal C-terminal domain. This signaling complex is the substrate for β-adrenergic up-regulation of the Ca_V1.2 channel in the heart during the fight-or-flight response. Protein phosphorylation of two sites at the interface between the distal and proximal C-terminal domains contributes importantly to control of basal Ca_V1.2 channel activity, and phosphorylation of Ser1700 by PKA at that interface up-regulates Ca_V1.2 activity in response to β-adrenergic signaling. Thus, the intracellular C-terminal domain of Ca_V1.2 channels serves as a signaling platform, mediating beat-to-beat physiological regulation of channel activity and up-regulation by β-adrenergic signaling in the fight-or-flight response.

Cite this article as:

Catterall A. William, Regulation of Cardiac Calcium Channels in the Fight-or-Flight Response, Current Molecular Pharmacology 2015; 8 (1) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874467208666150507103417